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A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. [1] Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Coral belongs to the class Anthozoa in the animal phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones and ...
The Amazon Reef (also referred to as the Amazonian Reef) is an extensive coral and sponge reef system, located off the coast of French Guiana and northern Brazil. It is one of the largest reef systems in the world known to exist, with scientists estimating its length to be over 600 miles (970 km) long, and covering over 3,600 square miles ...
Coral reef at Nusa Lembongan, Bali, Indonesia Pamalican island with surrounding reef, Sulu Sea, Philippines A reef surrounding an islet Reefs off Vanatinai Island in the Louisiade Archipelago A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral , or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. [ 1 ]
Every year, reefs provide about $2.7 trillion in goods and services, from tourism to coastal protection, according to a 2020 estimate by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
Further out to sea on the edge of the Florida Straits is the second ridge forming the outer reefs, covered by reefs and hard banks composed of coral rubble and sand. [ 5 ] Almost 1,400 species of marine plants and animals, including more than 40 species of stony corals and 500 species of fish, live on the Florida Reef.
Covering nearly 133,000 square miles (345,000 square kilometers), the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef, home to more than 1,500 species of fish and 411 species of hard corals.
Coastal communities near coral reefs rely heavily on them. Worldwide, more than 500 million people depend on coral reefs for food, income, coastal protection, and more. [141] The total economic value of coral reef services in the United States – including fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection – is more than $3.4 billion a year.
How important are coral reefs to the Maldives? The Maldives is an archipelago of over 1,000 islands sitting mere feet above sea level, which means the country is 99% ocean. And that’s where most ...